by Ashley Jade
"Fine," I say before hanging up on him.
Behind me I hear someone say, "You're making the right choice."
I spin around to face Emilio. And that's when it all clicks. "You. You're the reason Ford sought me out."
He folds his arms across his chest and nods. "I told you I'd figure a way out of this for you." He takes a step forward. "He's the only one with the connections to make this happen. And setting someone else up to take the fall is the only way to protect you both."
"Yeah, I get that," I say softly. "I just don't know whether I should be saying thank you...or fuck you for arranging all this."
"Don't say anything, Lou-Lou. Just know that I'm sorry."
He gives me a solemn look before he turns around and begins walking down the street.
When I close the door to my apartment I sink to my knees and begin praying for Tyrone.
The last thing I heard the Doctor say before they took him out on the stretcher was that he was going to need emergency surgery.
I wish I could call Ricardo and find out how he's doing, but I'm positive he won't pick up the phone when he see's it's me calling.
Therefore, the only thing I can do right now is pray and continue to pray.
I quickly wipe my eyes with the back of my hand when I hear someone knocking.
When I open the door...it's the last person I expect to see standing there.
Alyssa Tanner—the brunette edition. I'm about to ask her why she's not at the hospital with Jackson but as soon as she see's me she starts right in. "Look, I'm sorry I'm interrupting whatever it is that you're going through right now, but I can't get a hold of Jackson, and no one is at the apartment—"
"You don't know what happened, do you?"
Her eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head.
I swallow the lump in my throat before saying, "There was an accident at the club tonight. Tyrone got stabbed by his opponent when the match started."
Her hand covers her mouth and a sob escapes as I continue, "Everyone's at the hospital because he's having emergency surgery. That's probably why you can't get a hold of anyone."
"Thank you," she says softly.
She starts running down the hall and Jackson's words from that day in the dressing room echo in my head. Despite my reasons for not liking her... I feel compelled to help her right now.
Besides, it's late and I know for a fact that she doesn't have a car anymore.
"It's after 2am, Alyssa," I call out. "You'll never catch a cab because they're too busy picking up drunk idiots and it will take you an hour to get there on foot. Also, it's not exactly safe to go walking in the city by yourself this time of night. If you want, I can drive you."
To my surprise, she agrees.
We stay silent on the ride to the hospital, both of us too distraught to speak.
The silence between us breaks however when I pull up to the front of the hospital to drop her off.
"You're not coming in?" she questions.
I look down. "I want to, but I don't think anyone really wants to see me."
Actually...I don't think. I know.
"Look," she starts. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it's not about you right now. Tyrone needs all the positive thoughts he can get. Plus, I think Ricardo would appreciate you showing up and offering your support."
I open my mouth to argue that Ricardo would most definitely not want me showing up but all I can think about is Tyrone.
He's been the only kind one out of all of them and I do consider him my friend. And Alyssa's right, he does need all the positive support he can get right now and I want to be there for him.
I get out and hand my keys to a valet attendant. "Do you think they'll give us any information? We're not immediate family and we didn't come in with him. And you already said that Jackson wasn't picking up his phone."
The look on her face as we enter the emergency room tells me she didn't think of that.
The grim look on both the security guard and the nurse at the front desk face tells me they're going to be less than accommodating.
I sigh and watch as some nurse wearing pink scrubs who could pass for an older version of Alyssa save for the now different colored hair passes us.
I open my mouth to ask Alyssa if she has a sister but she takes my hand and we hurry over to the woman. "Penelope," she calls out before explaining the situation to her.
Pink scrubs surprisingly takes pity on us and leads us past the front desk and to a special section of the intensive care waiting room.
And that's where we find Jackson and Ricardo in some kind of standoff, looking like they're two seconds away from tearing each other’s faces off.
"You've gotta be kidding me," I mutter.
Not only is this not the time nor place for this shit..this is the last thing Tyrone would want. "Stop it!" I scream.
It's like they don't even hear me because Jackson advances toward Ricardo and holds him up against the wall by his throat. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" he sneers.
Christ almighty, Jackson's insane. Ricardo would never allow what happened to go down.
"You're out of your mind, Jackson," Ricardo shouts. "For fucks sake, I snapped that guy's neck. You think I would ever let anything happen to either one of you?"
Jackson shakes his head. "You knew about them switching his opponent before the fight. You had to know something was up. You told me everything was okay right before the fight. But, it wasn't fucking okay. You knew about the meeting because he had to go through you to get one! You knew he wanted out and you never fucking told me. And now, my best friend is in surgery fighting for his life."
Tyrone requested a meeting with DeLuca to get out of the club? Even I know DeLuca would never let him out before his contract is up. Why the hell would Tyrone even attempt something like that?
Oh, God. Our last conversation.
Some horrible combination of panic and guilt grip me, but in the blink of an eye Jackson slams Ricardo up hard against the wall again.
Ricardo's eyes flash and I fight back a shiver because I know what's about to happen if Jackson doesn't tread carefully.
"I had no idea that any of this was gonna go down, Jackson. I got him a meeting, yeah. But I wasn't privy to their discussion. It was a closed meeting. Tyrone wouldn't tell me why he wanted the meeting either, he just said it was important. If I had known, I would have talked him out of it," Ricardo screams, his voice cracking with emotion.
"You guys are like my brothers," he adds and my heart squeezes. "You both are the closest thing to a real family I've ever had. I would never be okay with someone taking either one of you out, ever. I don't care who might have issued the order."
Jackson eases up on his grip and bangs the wall beside his head. "I swear to god, Ricardo; you better be telling me the truth. Because if I find out that you knew about this...we're fucking done in every way you can think of."
"I didn't know. I swear. I'd let him take me out before I'd ever let him do it to either one of you."
Ricardo's statement pulls on every heart string I have. I feel my eyes start to water because I know it's the truth.
Jackson and Tyrone have no idea what he would risk for the both of them.
I stuff down the flicker of jealousy with that thought as I watch Jackson pull Ricardo into a hug. "I don't know what I'm gonna do if he doesn't pull through this," Jackson says.
Sadness erupts throughout the room with those words, however; the moment turns tense again when Jackson fixes himself and his eyes darken. "Actually, I do."
Ricardo shakes his head. "No, man. Get that thought out of your head right now. He didn't order it. It wasn't him. I'm telling you."
Ricardo's grasping at straws right now, because even I know with utmost certainty that DeLuca was behind what happened.
And apparently so does Jackson because he slams him up against the wall again. Ricardo deflects it so now he's the one slamming Jackson up against the wall.
&n
Ricardo's hand wraps around his throat. "Don't be stupid. You'll get yourself killed. You can't be done with him. That ain't the way it works and you know it."
A big ball of anxiety forms in my stomach because there's no way this confrontation is going to end well.
Jackson lifts his arm and maneuvers out of the choke hold. Jackson's fist flies out but Ricardo blocks it at the last possible second. But Jackson jabs him again and gets him right between the eyes.
Alyssa and I start screaming our heads off, trying to get them to stop, but they ignore us completely.
"You're not out," Ricardo says before punching Jackson in the face. "I'm not gonna let you kill yourself," he screams before he throws another punch.
Jackson issues a kick straight to Ricardo's side. I cringe because he's about to provoke a side of Ricardo he's never seen before.
Ricardo spits blood on the ground and motions for Jackson to come at him again.
Jackson's got that wild look in his eyes but it's nothing compared to the downright murderous look in Ricardo's.
Otherwise known as the DeLuca look.
Shit, I have to stop this.
I'm about to get security but then I see Alyssa take a step toward them.
Holy shit this chick is out of her goddamn mind. I've seen them both fight...she has no idea what either one of them are capable of.
Especially Ricardo. I mean, he did end up murdering Luke after all.
I try yanking her back as I let out the loudest whistle I can possibly muster.
It's no use though, because both of their arms are pulled back and they’re still about to pummel one another.
Alyssa moves closer to them and I scream her name because she's clearly lacking some serious common sense at the moment.
When Jackson's fist lands on her cheek and Ricardo's fist lands somewhere in her stomach region I flinch and recoil.
Dear god, this girl is a fucking idiot.
However, her stupid stunt works because when she yelps and falls to the floor they both snap out of it.
"Oh, my God. Look what you boys did! How could you?" Momma screams from somewhere behind me.
If only she showed up three seconds earlier.
Both Jackson and Ricardo drop down to the floor beside Alyssa, their expressions horrified. "Alyssa? Fuck, baby. I'm sorry. I...god," Jackson says.
"Me too," Ricardo adds. "I had no idea you were even here. What the hell were you thinking getting between us?"
Alyssa winces, clearly in a massive amount of pain. "I just wanted you both to stop fighting. I didn't know how else to make you stop."
"What is going on here?" another voice calls out. We all turn our heads as pink scrubs comes rushing into the room.
Again, where the heck was everyone just a moment ago?
"It was an accident," Alyssa says. When the nurse looks unconvinced she stands up and says, "Honest, Penelope. I was the one who got in the middle. They didn't even see me."
Pink scrubs gives her a stern look before saying, "I'll get you a few ice packs." She looks at Jackson and Ricardo. "Gentlemen," she scoffs that word. "This is the intensive care unit of a hospital. This is not a zoo. Keep your hands to yourself. If it happens again I will have security escort you out," she snaps, before she turns on her heels and storms out.
"What were you boys thinking?" Momma whispers, her voice shaking.
She looks so heartbroken and devastated right now, I have to fight the urge to run over and throw my arms around her.
Instead, I walk over to the corner and plop down. Besides, I know I'm probably the last person Momma wants to see right now...and lord knows I don't want to upset the woman any more than she already is.
"We're sorry, Momma. It will never happen again," I hear Ricardo and Jackson say before they both pull her into a hug.
When Momma starts sobbing, I feel myself come unglued. There is no one on the face of this earth Tyrone loves more than his Momma and vice versa.
If Tyrone doesn't make it out of surgery it will kill her. It will kill all of us.
I can feel Ricardo's eyes on me but I'm too chicken shit to lift my head and look at him.
I don't have the strength to hear him tell me to leave and my guilt over quite possibly being the cause of this in the first place is enough to eat me alive at the moment.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alyssa push Jackson away when he attempts to hug her. She looks like she doesn't know whether to punch him or crumble into a mess at his feet.
When she slowly backs away from him, giving him a look like he just committed the ultimate betrayal against her I stand up.
Whatever transpired between them in the last few moments is bad...real bad.
Emotions are running high right now and the last thing Momma needs to see are these two going at it .
Seeing as Ricardo took off, that means it's up to me to diffuse this situation. "I think she's in a lot of pain, Jackson," I say. "Probably not the best time to be hugging her. She did just get punched by two huge guys, remember?"
Jackson winces and rubs his face. "I'm gonna go get those ice packs for you," he says before leaving.
Momma looks at me and Alyssa. "I'm gonna go see if there's any news." Before she leaves, Alyssa gives her a big hug.
Of course, that's when Jackson decides to come back.
He walks over and hands her two ice packs. "Here," he says dismissively before walking away.
Alyssa turns to face me. "I'm being a real bitch, aren't I?"
I almost want to laugh because she's asking me out of all people, but I consider my answer carefully before I respond, "It's probably not the best time to be so angry with him seeing as Tyrone's still in surgery and we don't know the outcome." I shrug. "However, you can't really control how you feel when someone you love hurts you. And the fact that you can't even stand being touched by him combined with that look you gave him...tells me that whatever Jackson did to you was unforgivable."
"Like what Ricardo did to you?" she then asks.
I close my eyes as agony rips through me. "No," I whisper when I open my eyes. "Let's just say that I've been right where Jackson's standing. I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of that look and have the man you..." I wipe the tears that somehow manage to escape. "The man you love, look at you like the thought of touching you is unbearable and he'd rather die."
I clear my throat, hating that I'm falling apart. "I'm gonna go grab some coffee. You want anything?"
She looks like she wants to ask me another question but instead, she sits down on one of the chairs. "No, I'm good. Thanks."
I make a dash for the nearest bathroom and splash cool water on my face, attempting to calm myself down.
When I walk out, I decide I'm not quite ready to go back just yet and wander down an empty corridor.
Only to find Ricardo rocking on his heels, looking like he's fighting back tears. "Come on, Tyrone. Make it through this, brother," he whispers and my heart constricts.
I slowly back away, hoping not to disturb him but it's too late. He shoots me one of those looks that rip me to shreds and I feel myself shrink down before I walk away.
I have no idea what I missed while I was gone but when I walk back Alyssa looks a hot mess and she's laying on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot some gorgeous girl calling out her name in a southern twang. However, my eyes land on Jackson who's currently beside her—even though it's clear Alyssa doesn't want him anywhere near her at the moment.
Especially when she stands up, walks over to me, and reaches for my hand. Obviously she needs some support right now.
Jackson makes a face like he wants to kill me, but I jut my chin out and glare at him, my protective instincts taking over. "Leave her alone, Jackson. I have no clue what you did but she doesn't want you near her for the time being. You need to respect that."
He opens his mouth and his eyes narrow but Alyssa shoots him a look letting him know she means business.
Well, I'll be damned. This girl might have some spunk in her after all.
"Touch me again and you'll be in a jail cell," she snarls while pointing to her cheek.
Whoa, Alyssa. Too far.
What I can only assume now to be Shelby gasps and I'm sure my eyes pop out of my head.
Jackson takes a step back and shakes his head. "That was an accident and you know it. I would never, ever hurt you on purpose. You stepped right in the middle of a full-on fight between two grown men, Alyssa. I didn't even see you until it was already too late. You have to know that I would never hurt you! I love you!" he screams, his voice thick with emotion.
Hell, even I'm starting to feel bad for him now.
I'm about to pull Alyssa out of the room because these two are so far past needing a time out it's not even funny—but Momma and Ricardo walk into the room and announce Tyrone's out of surgery and the doctor will be coming in to speak to us.
Any possible altercations between all of us come to a rapid halt as we all wait with baited breath.
When the Doctor announces that Tyrone made it through surgery, there's tears of happiness and smiles all around.
Until the Doctor's face falls and he informs us about the damage to his spinal cord.
Momma shakes her head, confused. "I don't understand what that means, Doctor."
Jackson closes his eyes. "It means he's paralyzed, Momma."
Momma gasps and Jackson walks over to her and pulls her in his arms.
The Doctor nods sadly. "Yes. Although we won't know the full extent of the damage or his injury level until he wakes up, recovers from surgery and we can do further testing. And now that the surgery is over, I'll have to ask that only immediate family remain here to see him. The rest of you can come back tomorrow during scheduled visiting hours."
The Doctor leaves after that and no one says a word. The only sounds are the sniffles and sobs coming from both Momma and Shelby.
My lower lip trembles but I force myself to stay tough for everyone else.
A few moments later Momma and Shelby hug everyone goodbye...including me. "Thank you for being here tonight," Momma whispers. I give her a small nod because that's about all I can do without losing my composure.
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